Kesko has acquired full ownership of the Intersport chain in Russia by taking over the 20 percent stake that was still in the hands of its former owner, Melovest. The Russian operation has 35 sporting goods stores, mainly in the St. Petersburg and Moscow regions. Kesko, which holds the Intersport license in Finland, had bought an initial 80 percent share after signing an agreement last summer with Intersport Intenational to take over the Intersport license in Russia. Kesko wants to double the number of Intesport stores in Russia by 2015. It will open the first store in the country based on Intersport's new “Sport to the People” concept in Moscow toward the end of May.

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